All's Fair In Love And War
by V.Evergreen
Summary: Random oneshots taken from any and all characters lives. First chapter- Leo's confusion when he first sees Percy and Annabeth together, Last chapter- it's a poor resting place, but it's all that she has now.
1. Are you sure about that?

_Love and War._

"Seaweed brain!"

"Wise girl!"

Leo watched from a distance as he prepared his own armour for capture the flag. Both Percy and Annabeth were glowering at each other as if daring the other to back down first.

It seemed strange to him.

When he had first met Annabeth she had been almost sick with worry over Percy but now that she had him back all they did was bicker. Even as he watched they started sniping at each other again; he had long given up trying to figure out what the argument was actually about but from what he could gather it was on whose team was going to win tonight.

His quizzical stare at them obviously didn't go unnoticed as Nico was soon standing by his side looking on at them as well. Noticing him Leo turned to him, "Dude are you even sure they _like_ each other? At all?" He said with real doubt in his voice.

Nico gave a wry half smile "Oh I'm sure; once you get used to it it's almost sickening." He said before wandering off to find a helmet.

Still, Leo wasn't quite sure, they really did look ready to start shouting at each other but he supposed there might something there if you knew what to look for.

It was in the way that Annabeth fought a smile as she proved Percy wrong or the way that Percy's voice sounded far too close to a laugh to be taken seriously.

The conch horn blew and the campers started to make their way to the forest before separating into their teams.

Leo was left with no doubt when Annabeth bumped Percy with her shoulder but instead of retaliating Percy grabbed her hand and carried on walking but with a smile on his face, maybe they _were_ in love.

Leo shook his head at the strangeness of it all. Clearing his head he shook all thoughts of them from his mind as he set off at a run to the forest surrounded by other campers.

All's fair in love and war, but to him, war seemed so much easier.

…

A/N- Hiya, hope you liked it! This is one of those fics which really won't work without feed back or prompts and such, so please, review! All the best- VE


	2. That's what cousins are for!

Percy would be the first one to admit that he wasn't particularly academic. He knew he wasn't but despite this he had now been in the same school for three years!

Things were beginning to look up, his grades were picking up so that they were in the middle range of acceptable and he had just recently been made captain of the swim team (and despite what Annabeth said he didn't win it through cheating. Well, okay maybe he did but there had to be some perks to being a demigod right?).

Things were looking up.

Not only this but he did have a large group of friends. Well, sort of friends. They seemed to gravitate towards him and he wasn't completely sure why. When he mentioned it to Annabeth she just gave him a look that said _dear gods you really don't know do you?_

He wasn't too sure about some of them but for the most part they seemed alright if a little self absorbed.

It was these friends he stood with after school waiting for the rest of their group near the end of the summer term. Percy's mind was a million miles away contemplating just how many more days of school was left until he left for camp.

He must have been especially vacant this time because he didn't even registering anyone talking until someone was waving their and in front of their face. He looked at the expectant faces around him as they clearly waited for an answer,

"Um…sorry what?" He said looking back at them.

"House party 'round mine in the summer, you in Jackson?" Asked Josh, who for the most part was the loudest and most outspoken of the group. He was one of the people Percy wasn't too sure about, he was fine to talk to but the way he treated people who'd pissed him off was something to behold.

"Sure, whatever." Answered Percy distractedly as he tried to think up a reasonable excuse as to why he wouldn't be there. Summer plans among friends were always a problem for him, he nearly always ended up phoning the day he left for camp with a long list of drab excuses. And not in a good way.

As he stared off blankly the conversation resumed around him about superficial subjects: who was going out with who, tales of how drunk they'd got last weekend and other things that would've bored him to tears normally. He honestly didn't know why he hung out with these people but they seem to have attached themselves to him like some sort of annoying limpet.

Percy was so unfocussed that at first he didn't realise the commotion that had started up. He couldn't see though the throngs of people who were still churning out of the school but people kept jumping out the way of something.

~o~o~o~

Josh was the first one out of the nattering group to notice and walked forward to see what all the fuss was about. All it turned out to be was some emo kid who looked pretty beaten up.

He must have been a few years younger than Josh himself and as the kid walked past he managed to knock into his shoulder. The kid didn't even turn around. Frowning, Josh grabbed his skinny shoulder and spun him around bodily.

"Where do you think you're going kid?"

~o~o~o~

Percy came out of reverie to the sound of Josh snapping at someone angrily. Sighing he realised he would probably have to be the one to talk him down since no one else would. Pushing through the crowd of students that had gathered to watch the two people in the middle he was shocked when he finally saw who it was.

Josh stood upright with anger on his face and standing glaring and him with as much if not more anger etched upon his face was Nico di Angelo.

Percy's first thought was that Nico looked terrible.

He was way paler than usual and unsteady on his feet. From the way he held his arm close to his body Percy could tell he'd most likely broken it or sprained it at the very least and to top it off he must have hit his head on something because blood was just beginning to make its way down his face from his hairline.

Even as Percy watched Nico squared up to Josh and looked him straight in the eye, "Piss off." He tried to walk through the crowd of people but Josh just turned him around again and Percy could see the pain this action caused Nico. Before Percy could try and step between them Nico's good arm swung around and he delivered a solid punch to Josh's face. He staggered backwards a few paces but raised his own fist in retaliation.

Springing into action Percy launched himself between them and delivered his own punch to Josh's face, and this time he really did go sprawling.

Standing over him Percy jabbed a finger at him, "Don't you dare try and touch my cousin again!" He all but growled at him and was almost satisfied to see the flicker of fear in the offenders eyes.

Turning around he saw Nico who was now swaging on the spot inspecting his bruised knuckle. Walking over to him he slung Nico's good arm around his neck and half walked him half dragged him out of the school grounds ignoring the titters that started up around them.

As soon as they were out of ear shot he turned to Nico, "What happened?" He said.

"Ambushed a few blocks away, too many of them to fight on my own. Took down a few and shadow travelled to you 'cause you were closest." said Nico groggily as more blood made it's way down his face.

Percy winced knowing that shadow travel in Nico's state wouldn't be pleasant. They walked a bit more in silence before Nico spoke again,

"You didn't have to do that." He muttered.

Percy looked at him surprised, "Course I did. What are cousins for?" They walked the rest of the way back to Percy's house in silence but Percy didn't miss the small smile that played around the edges of Nico's mouth as they made their way back.

…..

A/N- Hope you like it and I would like nothing more than to hear your thoughts on it so drop me a line! Would love some requests to work with (hint hint) anyways all the bst to you-VE


	3. Deal?

Clarisse hadn't meant to see her.

Honestly, she thought it would be best for everyone if she had just carried on walking and just pretended that she hadn't seen anything, but that would be the cowards' thing to do. And Clarisse la Roue was no coward. Squaring her shoulders she walked silently towards the huddled figure.

She had been headed towards the armoury when she saw her.

In all her years at camp she had never seen Annabeth looking so vulnerable. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest as she stared out across the beach, her back was turned towards the rest of the camp but her shoulder were shaking.

Annabeth was crying.

Clarisse reached her and sat down beside her without a word.

Annabeth jumped slightly; obviously not having heard Clarisse make her way over. She quickly wiped a hand over her eyes but not before Clarisse has seen her tears.

For a moment neither of them said anything. They both sat in silence looking out to sea before Annabeth spoke,

"I thought he'd be back by now." She said thickly as she looked steadfastly ahead refusing to meet Clarisse's eye.

"So did I." The reply from Clarisse was the truth; it had been five months since Percy had disappeared from the camp without a trace and it was hard to keep the hope alive that he would return.

It had been a blow for the camp, having him disappear. But, of course, it had been worst for Annabeth.

When he had first left she had almost run herself into the ground searching for him and it had taken an intervention from Chiron to get her to stop, if only to let herself rest.

The first few weeks he was gone Annabeth had been almost been like a machine, never stopping, never faltering and never letting go of her hope.

But gradually days turned into weeks and the weeks quickly melted into months and nothing presented itself. Clarisse wasn't sure that if it had been Chris she'd have the strength to keep hoping that he was okay, let alone that he would come back.

When Clarisse looked at the result it almost broke her heart.

Not because she was particularly fond of Percy or Annabeth (though she would never have wished this on either of them) but because the look on Annabeth's face was one she had seen before.

It was the face of Silena Beauregard.

The features were different and so was the person but the expression was the same. The look of utmost loss and anguish for the one they loved.

Breaking free of her thoughts before they could take another painful turn she spoke again,

"He'll come back, but until then we gotta hold it together, yeah?" Clarisse said with a sideways glance at Annabeth,

"And when he does," she continued, "I'll kick his ass for you, deal?"

Annabeth's lips twitched upwards. It wasn't quite a smile but it was the closest she'd come in a long time.

"Deal." She echoed.

Sighing, and with one last look at Clarisse, Annabeth hauled herself up and set of for cabin six.

Clarisse sat where she was staring out to sea on her own,

_You better come back Prissy, _she thought, _or you'll have me to answer to._

With that final thought Clarisse rose from the ground and set off at a jog for the armoury.

Behind her the tide continued to wash up the beach washing away her footprints along with any evidence that she'd been there.

…..

A/N- It's the best part of the story, the author's note! Set in SoN just in case anyone was wondering.

Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts! They're the reason this one's out so fast and more would be absolutely lovely-VE


	4. The most fearsome of all monsters

The sun shone brightly over the camp that day and a lazy breeze drifted through the air. It was still early in the day but all of the campers were up; most just having finished breakfast with a few wandering off to begin their days activities.

For Percy Jackson the day was perfect just for the fact that no one was trying to destroy western society or kill all of his friends. Days like this were far and few between and he was determined to enjoy this opportunity.

He stood on the porch of the Athena cabin waiting for Annabeth to grab the blue prints that were apparently _crucial_ and couldn't wait until after cabin inspection to be looked at_._

As he waited he saw Grover approaching him with a worried look on his face.

"Hey man, what's up?" He asked walking forward to meet him, perturbed to see his friend looking so anxious.

Grover looked at him forlornly, "It's the nature spirits in the forest they've decided to-"

Percy never did find out what the nature spirits had decided to do as at the moment Grover was interrupted by a scream.

A scream that came straight from the Athena cabin. Every camper suddenly froze in their tracks and before Percy could even fully comprehend what was happening he was wrenching open the door to the cabin and looking wildly around the inside of the room. He saw Annabeth huddled against the backboard of her bed staring at something in wide eyed terror. He walked forward with his only though being to protect Annabeth but even as he stood in front of her eyes never left their fixed point of the wall behind him. Worried, he took her hand in one of his,

"Annabeth, look at me," he said as she slowly turned her face to look at him, "What happened? What's wrong?"

Annabeth only muttered something too quiet for him to hear as her eyes returned to the wall, "Pardon, didn't quite hear that."

"Sp-spider." She whispered as she raised her hand to point at the wall opposite.

Percy, still slightly confused walked over to the wall in question and almost laughed at what he found.

Sat on the wall in question was a spider that couldn't have been bigger than his thumb nail. With one hand he scooped it from the wall and released it outside of the door. When he looked back Annabeth was stood behind him with an expression that looked as though she couldn't decide between intense relief or crippling embarrassment.

In the end she settled for just giving him a hug but as she did she stood on her toes and whispered in his ear,

"If anyone asks we say that there were _at least _five monsters in there."

Percy's response was a chuckle as he pulled her closer to him.

…

A/N- Thank you for the amazing show of support so far and the prompt that inspired this story! More prompts and reviews would be _incredibly_ welcome J-VE


	5. Show him? You can't show him!

"I'm home!"

Paul walked through the hallway nearly tripping over Percy's carelessly strewn trainers as he dropped his keys onto the dresser. He walked through to the lounge waiting to find out where everyone had got to. It had only been two months since he, Sally and Percy had began living together but already he found himself completely used to their company. He hadn't realised it before but it was nice to have someone to come home to after a long day and ask them how theirs was.

He reached the lounge but a quick look told him it was empty. Instead he walked through to the kitchen and was surprised by the sight that he saw there as he stood just shy of the door.

Sally stood in front of Percy looking so anxious that Paul was half worried that she was about to burst into tears. Her shoulders were hunched and she was speaking a mile a minute; something he knew she only did when she was nervous,

"-we need to tell him don't we, dear? We can't just leave it any longer, can we? No, we can't. How are we going to go about it? Are you just going to say it or should I-"

"Mom!" Percy said cutting her off mid nervous rant, "Why don't I just show him?"

Paul's mind was racing as he continued to eavesdrop their conversation from behind the doorway. For the life of him he couldn't think of anything of any magnitude that Percy would have to show him that would have Sally reduced to a nervous wreck.

He had been slightly apprehensive about meeting Percy when he first started to see Sally.

On paper the kid sounded like a nightmare.

In and out of school every year, several run ins with the police and on top of that: ADHD and dyslexia. It was fair to say that Paul hadn't been looking forward to meeting him. But when Paul actually met Percy he couldn't have been more different from what he imagined.

Instead of juvenile delinquent there was just a normal teenage boy. He was easy enough to talk to and the only time the ADHD was noticeable was when he began fidgeting; normally with some random pen.

When Percy had first met Paul it was with suspicious eyes that he looked him over, but not in a threatening way. Just in a sort of evaluating way, as if to see whether Paul would be good enough for his mom, but this was all fine and to be expected. Paul had known beforehand how close Percy and Sally were so this came as no shock.

"Show him?" Sally exclaimed sounded slightly horrified, " Percy, I don't want you to give him a heart attack!"

There was a slight chuckle from Percy, "Mom, I won't give him a heart attack, but showing him _is_ the quickest way." He said.

Taking a deep breath as he tried to steady his nerves Paul stepped around the corner of he threshold to the kitchen, "Show me what?" He asked with his voice deceptively calm.

Both Sally and Percy started at his sudden appearance with Sally looking quite resigned. She nodded wearily at Percy and they both sat at the kitchen table and motioned for him to sit opposite.

Trying not to feel as if he were being interrogated as he looked at their grim faces he looked to Sally for answers. With a small sigh and a worried face Sally turned to Percy who leaned over the table slightly, resting on his elbows and looked straight into Paul's face as he spoke,

"Paul, What do you know of the Greek Gods?"

….

A/N- Hello! Hope you liked it and it hasn't been too long between the updates, reviews would be amazing as would be suggestions so shout out your ideas! As always, all the best-VE


	6. What was it like being a tree?

Annabeth laid down upon the grass verging the woods as she looked up at the stars. Her emotions ran wild as they tangled and fought for dominance. Only hours before had she seen Thalia return to the world and for those first few hours and for the first time in years she found herself at a loss of what to do.

She loved Thalia like a sister and seeing her die and losing her still haunted her dreams. Naturally seeing her resurrected, Annabeth's first reaction had been to fly at her and embrace her as she tried to consolidate her mind to the fact that Thalia was indeed alive again and she could once more talk to her.

For a split second the world fell into place.

Then Thalia was dragged away, dazed and confused, by Chiron. It was a necessary evil considering that when she was found she was unconscious and completely incoherent but to Annabeth it felt like she had just lost her all over again.

Throughout the following hours Annabeth had begged and pleaded but Chiron maintained that Thalia was not ready to cope with such a shock as meeting Annabeth once more. He promised that she could see her tomorrow but for Annabeth it was not soon enough. She had gone without her friend for years but all of a sudden the thought of one night seemed to drag on for an eternity.

Annabeth could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as the stars above her seemed to become less focused, though she tried to blink them away. So many times had she wished for Thalia back but never had she thought of her coming back like this. To be used as a pawn on Kronus's chessboard as he manipulated the prophesy to his own ends. It made her feel disgusted at herself for thinking it but there was no denying that Thalia's sudden appearance did not bode well Camp Half-blood.

Annabeth was almost drowned in the torrent of her thoughts, so much so that she didn't hear the slight creak of the door as a figure silently and swiftly made their way of the porch of the big house. In fact, so lost was she that she only noticed when she saw another body lay upon the grass much the same as she was.

When she looked to see who it was she was slightly startled to see Thalia there, as though her thoughts had summoned her.

Thalia looked quickly at Annabeth before her eyes returned to tracing the constellations of the sky.

"So what did I miss?"

Annabeth could feel her lips grudgingly being moved into a half smile as she heard Thalia's voice. She sat up so as to see her better.

"Not much." Said Annabeth as she tried to stop the flash back of images of her first and second quest, "Well, I've been on two quests." She amended

On hearing this Thalia raised herself onto her elbows as she digested that fact that the little seven year old girl she had known was no longer quite so little.

"Really? Who with?" Said Thalia aware that there seemed to be a subject they were both hell bent on avoiding.

"Grover and um… Percy." Annabeth shot a slightly worried look at Thalia as her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Percy? Which one was he?" Thalia seemed unaware that Annabeth was watching her with slightly worried eyes.

"He was the one there when you woke up."

"Oh yeah," said Thalia as she recalled his face, "hang on, there was something familiar about him, when did you meet him?"

Annabeth looked slightly pained when she next spoke, "He came to camp about two years back, and well," Annabeth swallowed as she tried to find the right words, "he should look familiar, he looks like you."

Whatever answer Thalia had been expecting this wasn't it. Now she thought back to his face she could remember some similarities such as the same dark hair and the same high cheek bones but honestly she had been a little out of it at the time. Instead of trying to think through the puzzling words given to her she just shot a puzzled look at Annabeth who all of a sudden looked a little deflated.

"Well, you look similar because, well, he's your cousin." Once again Annabeth's words only served to confuse Thalia. She knew that everyone at camp was somehow related despite not having any DNA on the divine side of the family tree but it was too confusing to try and work out exactly they were all related.

Seeing that Thalia was still not following the line of conversation she decided it was just time to say the words.

"He's a son of Poseidon."

"Oh." Said Thalia as she flopped back down to the ground suddenly realising why Chiron had been so intent on keeping out of the way of people who might tell her this by accident.

Thalia could realise how this could complicate things; when Grover had been trying to escort them to camp her explained such things as the Great Prophesy and the pact of the big three. Yes, this definitely complicated matters.

Annabeth watched as Thalia realised what her resurrection could mean and what it could cause. She knew this was meant to be a time of worry and speculation but as she sat on the grass and under the stars with an old friend it felt like they had never been parted.

"I missed you." The words were quiet but unmistakeable. When Thalia looked up she saw Annabeth duck her head slightly as she shredded he grass by her feet. Without another word she sat up and enveloped the younger girl in a hug. Annabeth stiffened momentarily before she hugged Thalia so fiercely that had they have been standing both would have fell to the ground. Time passed but neither moved, both content to sit there holding each other just to reassure themselves that the other was real. Eventually Annabeth pulled back slightly, just to ask the question that had been sitting at the back of her mind since earlier that day.

"What was it like being a tree?"

….

A/N- Well thank you once again for reading, this was inspired by a prompt left in a review so I hope you like it and forgive me for the delay. More reviews would be loved and all suggestions and prompts are welcome, all the best- VE


	7. Because I love him

When Silena Beauregard burst into the Aphrodite cabin and practically screamed for joy almost every camper in there at the time had flocked over to her to hear whatever news could make their normally unflappable head councillor act this way. Most of them had guessed that it would be about a boy, and they were right.

Silena proclaimed to the whole cabin (and several of the people who could hear them outside) that Charles Beckendorf had _finally _asked her out and they were going to fireworks that weekend.

She had expected people to jump and shout with her, to celebrate as was the normal, but their reactions were very different.

Most froze to the spot; their smiles becoming strangely fixed as they congratulated her quickly before turning their backs and carrying on with what they had been doing beforehand. To be fair to them, it wasn't all of them, but it was a majority.

The subject of Silena and Beckendorf wasn't brought up again and whenever Silena mentioned it in conversation they would steer the conversation in a different direction. Silena couldn't understand it until one of the younger campers blurted it out in front of all of her cabin mates,

"But _why_ would you go out with him? He's so…" here the younger girl gave a small shudder as if unable to complete her question.

Unconsciously, the rest of the campers from Aphrodite stopped as they listened for Silena's answer.

Silena, herself, was thinking. She had a feeling that her siblings question ought to have made her angry and defensive but if she was honest she was glad it was out in the open.

She found herself thinking about the question at hand. Why did she like Charlie? It wasn't because of his looks. Not because he was ugly, but he wasn't as handsome as many of the boys she had fawning over her, both at camp and in the mortal world. It wasn't because he was particularly charming or confident. In fact, when he asked her out she pretended not to notice that he voice was uncertain and his hands trembled slightly; all in all she found that rather endearing.

No, the reason she had said yes to him and no to the so many others was different. For the first time since she could remember Charlie treated her as an equal.

He listened to what she said, valued her opinions and most of all, he made her laugh. Everyone in her life looked down upon her except him.

Most of the camp looked down upon her because she was the daughter of the love goddess and was therefore by nature assumed to be vapid and shallow.

Her father looked down upon her because he was of the firm opinion that being the parent he knew what was best for her .

Even her own siblings looked down upon her for falling in love with a blacksmith.

Charlie was the only person who just treated her like a person

So when she looked down at the younger girls face she smiled,

"Because I love him."

…

A/N- Hope you like the chapter, reviews, prompts and suggestions are sorely needed, all the best- VE


	8. Keep Smiling Sweetheart

The first time that Rachel ever made a prophesy outside of the camp was horrible.

She had been half way through her lunch break when it happened. One minute she was chatting amiably to one of her few tolerable friends (honestly, with all of the girls that attended her finishing school you'd expect most of them to be able to hold a decent conversation that didn't seem to revolve around some sort of fashion, but _no_) and the next she was dashing off trying to find an empty classroom, corridor or bathroom.

Anywhere as long as there was no one there to see her.

She just made it into the girls toilet before she felt her knees start to buckle; her last thought was, _well at least I had some warning, _and then everything went green.

~o~o~o~

When she came to the first thing she thought about was how cold she was. She didn't know how long she'd been out but evidently it had been long enough for the chill of the bathroom floor to seep through the thin material of her uniform. With a barely audible groan she grabbed the edge of the sink and hauled herself upright. She looked around and couldn't help the small smile of relief that played across her face as she realised that she was all alone.

Not a soul in sight.

No doubt she would have to explain to her friends why she had decided to take off at a dead sprint mid-sentence but that was a small inconvenience compared to what would have happened if they had seen her suddenly be taken over by an all knowing Oracle.

With a sigh she looked into the mirror above the sink and felt her shoulders slump as she took in the person she saw. She had never been a vain person but even she couldn't go outside looking like this.

Her face was pale and drawn and even her hair seemed lank, no doubt a result from laying on the bathroom floor for gods know how long. As she brought her hands up to try and scrape her hair back into some sort of order she saw that her hands shook, ever so slightly, but shook nonetheless.

It was almost a tangible moment when she broke down. It was the first time that she had felt truly alone since becoming the Oracle and the first time she'd had to endure it alone. It struck her how truly easy it would be for her to slip up. All it would take was one time. One time where she couldn't reach an empty bathroom or an abandoned in time and everyone would know.

It was all very well at camp but she couldn't go her whole life living there just as much as she couldn't go her whole life fearing the next time a prophesy made itself known.

She sighed and pulled herself together, she would be fine. She could get though this. Quickly she wiped the tears from her face and looked in the mirror. She didn't look any better but she could see the determined spark in her eye that told her she would make it through this. It wasn't until she took a deep calming breath in preparation of leaving did she see the small scrap of paper. Curious, she turned it over and actually laughed when she saw what it said,

_Keep smiling sweetheart_

_I have confidence in you_

… _I am so awesome_

_Sorry, couldn't think of a last line- Apollo_

Still smiling she tucked away the note in her pocket and walked out to face the world. Because no matter where the future decided to hijack her, she knew she was never completely without friends.

…

A/N- This was a really fun chapter to write so I hope you enjoyed it! If you did drop me a line, I'd love to know what you think and I'm in desperate need of prompts and suggestions! All the best-VE


	9. A Family of Hidden Talents

It had been six weeks since Paul had been told that his soon-to-be stepson was part Greek God.

All in all he hadn't thought his reaction had been too bad, there had been a little bit of hysterical laughter thrown in there with a liberal sense of disbelief, but eventually he had seen the truth (the demonstration from Percy may have helped but he was more than willing to forget about that), Percy really was a half blood.

His second reaction had been an almost unbounded sense of curiosity. He was lucky that neither Sally or Percy had seemed to mind his endless stream of questions because as soon as one question was answered two more seemed to take its place. Much like a certain monster out of one of Percy's fantastical tales.

Still, he thought he was doing rather well with the whole affair. Admittedly, he had yet to accustom himself to Percy's fluent cursing in Ancient Greek on rare occasions, and yes, it was still a slightly unwelcome thought that his fiancé's ex lover had literally been a God. The other day he had walked in on what Sally had called an 'IM' which was definitely strange but he was almost one hundred percent sure that any more surprises wouldn't be as shocking as this.

In fact, it was a testament to how shock proof he had become that when he got up that morning his only reaction to seeing a full sized and lethal looking sword laying strewn across the table was to move it slightly so he could place his coffee on the surface. He almost smiled at how the extraordinary had melded into the mundane. After all, here he was sharing a flat with a demigod and his mother and all he was doing was drinking his coffee and sifting through the morning post that had been laid down.

Paul continued his serene morning routine of checking the mail and drinking coffee until he came across a strange letter. He saw at a glance that it was addressed to Sally but now that they had moved in together all mail had pretty much become universal, so it wasn't unusual for him to open her post nor she to open his. What was strange about this letter was the fact that the logo and address said it had come from an art gallery. Not one he recognised, but he still couldn't think of what reason they'd have to contact Sally. Burning with curiosity he decided to read ahead,

_Dear Ms. Jackson,_

_We are contacting you despite your previous assurances that you had no desire to continue in your collection, in the hopes that we might persuade you otherwise. Over the last three years your art has proved to be possibly the most popular piece in our entire collection. _

_I'm sure you have seen the many glowing reviews for "The Poker Player" and we hasten to tell you that any further pieces you seek to add to your collection would be a most welcome addition to our gallery, so please do not hesitate to contact us,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Emily Harrison_

Paul finished the letter and was left more confused than when he had first reading. Sally had never mentioned a career in creative art before neither had she mentioned submitting a piece to a gallery.

Deciding to try and find out more Paul got up from the table and went to the living room in the hope of finding his laptop. Five minutes later he emerged from the mess he called a lounge (who knew that the people who blamed teenagers for the disproportionate amounts of mess they made would actually turn out to be right?) triumphant with the computer in is hands.

Quickly, he typed in the name of the gallery into the search results and scrolled until he found the right link. After that it didn't take long to find the piece entitled The Poker Player though Paul decided to read the reviews first.

The letter hadn't been exaggerating when it told of the glowing reviews. It seemed almost everyone had something good to say about the piece. Eventually, and after ready many a comment he clicked on the link to the picture.

His first impression was that it was possibly the ugliest statue he had ever seen. The almost grotesque figure of a man could be seen hunched over a hand of cards with a look of contentment twisted upon his face, as though he did not realise how repellent he looked.

It took Paul a moment to gather his wits but when he did the first thing he did was check the artist picture. The name of the artist coupled together with the picture of the woman he loved left him in no doubt that his Sally had made that truly repulsive statue. In shock he made his way back to the picture of the piece. It took a moment but eventually he managed to look past the ugliness of the statue to see what all of the reviews had been rambling on about. There was something incredibly life like about the statue. The detail that had gone into it was truly astounding, Sally had captured everything and left out nothing, committing everything from the way the man sat hunched in his seat to the way his pudgy fingers had wrapped themselves around the cards, to stone forever.

In a daze Paul flicked though some of the other pictures the site had of that particular statue. He couldn't believe that Sally had never told him about this. To have such a talent and not tell anybody!

But wait-

Paul's eyes narrowed suspiciously when he saw a new angle of photo frame. It was a clear and unobstructed view of the statue's face and something about it was resoundingly familiar.

He had heard all about Gabe Ugliano from Sally and more tellingly he had heard what Percy had had to say about him. The only time he had seen the man's face, apart from a vague recollection of seeing him on a local news network, had been when he was clearing out some old drawers and had found a tattered photograph of what he could only imagine was his and Sally's wedding day.

The picture was truly heartbreaking.

Any fool could see that both Sally and Percy were utterly miserable. Gabe stood in the middle of the frame looking to all the world as though he were without fault. He stared insolently into the camera in a grease stained shirt with not so much as a smile upon his face while Sally stood beside him, still in her old uniform that she had to wear while she worked in that sweet shop. He could just make out the fact that her hand was tightly clenched around Percy's as they all stood on the dull grey steps of the registry office.

Looking at that photo the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place as he remembered a specific tale of Percy's when he told him he was a half blood,

"_-so I used the mirror to sneak up behind her, well that bit was Annabeth's idea, and I cut off her head!" Paul wasn't sure whether to be amazed or slightly sickened at the tone of pride in Percy's voice but as he saw Sally smile gently at her son he remembered why Percy had been driven to such action. To save his mother. Paul decided to just be amazed. Who would have thought that when he woke up that morning by the end of the day he would be regaled of tales of Percy killing a gorgon?_

"_What did you do with the head?" He had managed to ask through his shock._

"_I tried to send it to the Gods-" Percy broke off as an unusually loud roll of the thunder sounded over head, Paul watched as Percy sent a sheepish look skyward before he continued in a loud voice as though to make sure that someone heard him, "which I shouldn't have done because it was wrong! Anyway," he continued in a normal voice, "They sent it back so I gave it to-"_

_Sally gave a very pointed cough and Percy sent her an apologetic look, something that Paul didn't understand at the time, " I mean I destroyed it."_

_He wasn't sure whether to believe him at the time but new questions took over his mind so he focussed on them instead._

As Paul looked again at the photo of the statue on the small screen of the laptop he felt an unexpected surge of pride. Sally had been strong enough to take care of her own problems and Paul was happy to respect that. As long as he never got on her bad side.

…..

A/N- Hope you enjoyed it! First of thank you to my reviewer for the last chapter, I'm sorry I didn't use your suggestion but this literally hit me from nowhere! Anyway I hope you all liked it and if you did, please leave a review!- VE


	10. Once

The preparations for the Argo II were well underway and the camp was almost tingling with anticipation, but none more so than Annabeth. Whenever Piper saw her she was always either drawing up more complex plans for the boat or pacing as there was nothing she could do at the time.

It must have been frustrating for her, she supposed. Piper could see that Annabeth was a master architect with incredible talent but she could also see that Annabeth was best with the concept; the ideas. Give her a job to do with any physical parts or technology and she simply couldn't do it. She was like the exact opposite of Leo. Leo could build anything out of nothing but it was impossible to get him to plan or draw his ideas outside of his head.

It was because of this that Annabeth seemed to have a lot of free time and nothing to do with it except worry and speculate.

It was during one of these periods that Piper walked up to her. She didn't know Annabeth all that well but the other girl was just sitting there into space and it just didn't sit well with Piper to just leave her there; especially when she looked so lost.

"Hey." She said as she walked up to Annabeth.

Annabeth just looked at her, "Hello." She said flatly. If Piper had been anyone else she probably would have left then but she could almost feel the heartbreak rolling off of the older girl. It must have been a daughter of Aphrodite thing but it didn't change the fact that she couldn't just leave.

"What are you thinking about?" Piper almost cursed herself for such a pathetic conversation opener but it made Annabeth's lips quirk slightly.

"Percy." It seemed that Annabeth wasn't fond of beating around the bush which suited Piper just fine.

"You know he's going to come back, right?" Asked Piper seriously. She knew Annabeth must have been sick of hearing it but she figured that it couldn't hurt to offer her extra support.

"Yeah, I know." Piper looked at Annabeth curiously. She couldn't help but wonder why Annabeth's tone was so sad when she didn't seem doubtful that they would get Percy back.

"Then what's wrong?" She asked, pretty sure that she was overstepping some sort of social boundary but unable to stop herself from asking.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." With that Annabeth moved as if to get up but without any conscious thought Piper's hand reached out to shackle Annabeth's wrist. The older girl raised an eyebrow, but instead of breaking her hold like Piper knew she could she just sat back down and looked at Piper curiously.

"I can feel it, you know." Piper said looking at Annabeth, "I think it's a daughter of Aphrodite thing but I know something's wrong and its got something to do with Percy." When Annabeth stayed silent Piper tried coaxing, "You'll feel better if you tell me-"

"What if he doesn't remember me?" Annabeth burst in suddenly, "What if we get him back and he doesn't know who I am?"

Piper moved her hand now she was sure that the other girl wasn't going to run, "Jason remembers everything now," She said gently, "there's no reason why Percy wouldn't be able to remember everything as well."

Annabeth just looked mutinous, "Yeah, he remembers _now_."

Understanding lit in Pepper's mind. "So you're worried about what he did when he didn't remember you?"

Annabeth just gave a terse nod without looking at her.

"Annabeth," Said Piper softly and sincerely, "Everyone here says how much you love each other, I'm sure that-"

"It's happened before you know."

Piper was thrown. "What's happened before?" she asked confusedly.

Annabeth swallowed before speaking in an admirably steady voice, "He's disappeared before and fallen in love." Piper was shocked by the admission and she was sure it showed on her face, so Annabeth elaborated, "Do you remember a few years ago there was a major volcano eruption? The one that made the news?"

Piper wracked her brains for a second, she did remember something vaguely of the sort but it hadn't been of great interest to her at the time, "Mount St. Helen's?" She asked.

"That's the one." Said Annabeth, "That was Percy." She didn't stop at Piper's gob smacked expression but her voice did sound a little lighter, "He exploded the mountain but he was thrown off into the sea and he washed up on an island." Annabeth's expression was once again stony, "Calypso's island." Piper winced, she knew Greek mythology and she knew where this was likely headed. "She loved him." The _and he loved her_ went unspoken.

Piper reached up a hand and put it on Annabeth's shoulder, "But he came back."

Annabeth shrugged off her hand and stood up, and this time Piper made no move to stop her this time, "Once. He came back once."

Piper watched Annabeth walked away and hoped with all her heart that wherever Percy was he could remember what he had waiting for him to come back.

~o~o~o~

A few short months later and Piper watched in joy as Annabeth's fear was proven unfounded. She had only just had her first glimpse of Percy before he was completely obscured by Greek campers with the first in line being Annabeth.

There was still a terrible prophesy hanging over both camps but at that moment all the cares in the world could be put away, even if only for a second. For a small moment in time peace was known by both camps.

…

A/N- Sorry it's been so long since a update but I promise that I haven't given up on this. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it, if you liked (or if you didn't) please leave a review!

Best wishes,

VE

Ps. All suggestions are welcome.


	11. Those Who Deserve No Less

He knew he shouldn't really be up and about yet but this had to be done. Sally had waited long enough and it wouldn't get any easier if he waited to tell her.

Slowly, Nico made his way up to the apartment where she and Paul lived, he had been there a few times but this would be the first time he had been there without Percy. At this thought he slowly down even until he was practically still. He tried to tell himself that he was just still suffering from the after-effects of his imprisonment (which he was) but in reality it was the weight of his own trepidation that stilled his feet.

What made it worse was that he had actually volunteered to do this. It just hadn't seemed right to let anyone else go.

He had reached the door. Steeling himself with a deep breath which he would deny taking later he knocked on the door.

Almost immediately it was flung open and Sally Jackson stood there with a wild halo of curls around her head and a hopeful look in her lined eyes. The lines worried Nico. He couldn't remember seeing them before Percy had left.

The hopeful look dimmed slightly as she saw Nico there instead of Percy, whom there was no doubt she had been waiting for, but a small smile graced her lips nonetheless.

"Nico, come in." Nico stepped through the door feeling worse with every step he took inside. He shouldn't be welcome here and after he had said his piece he knew he wouldn't be.

He was ushered into the kitchen where he was all but pushed into a chair while Sally busied herself with pouring him a cup of coffee from the pot. He observed her while she had her back turned and what he saw made him feel no better. She looked more fragile than he could ever remember seeing her. Her cheekbones were more prominent that he would have liked to see and there was a slight but undeniable tremor to her hands. It wasn't surprising, he summarised, worry would do that to a person.

He waited until she was seated before he finally worked himself to say what he had to say.

"Is he okay?" Sally's quiet question took him by surprise but she simply carried on regardless of what he had planned to tell her, "When you knocked I thought you might be him… after that phone call I was so sure he would come back…" Her voice tailed off as she stared at Nico from across the kitchen table. The words stuck in his throat and Nico found himself quite unable to say anything at all. To his shock and slight dismay on how much harder this would make things Sally reached across the table between them and grasped onto Nico's hand. Her skin felt cold to him; a fact that worried him more than normal. "Tell me he's okay."

Nico tried to extract his hand gently from hers but she only clutched it tighter. The lump in his throat grew, "I'm sorry." He croaked. He wished there was more he could say but words had, not for the first time, failed him.

"What do you mean?" She asked, panic creeping into her voice, "Where is he? What happened? Why-"

"There was quest that, well… didn't go according to plan. I can't tell you all of it," Nico swallowed to try and work his way around the lump that now seemed to be trying to choke down his words. He knew that there was nothing actually stopping him telling Sally the long and arduous story apart from his own weakness. He couldn't relive that memory. Not now. Not yet.

"But it was at the end. Annabeth had sent…a monster to the depths of Tartarus… you know what that is?"

Sally waved her hand impatiently which Nico gathered that she must have known what it meant. He was glad that he didn't have to explain that to her at least.

"Anyway, the monster caught her on the way down," Nico ploughed on despite the shaking hand that Sally had raised to cover her mouth and steadfastly ignored the tears that glistened in her eyes. "She was holding on but barely-"

"Percy grabbed her didn't he?" She murmured. Nico nodded miserably not surprised that she had made that leap. It was just so Percy to jump in and try to save the day. It was so stupidly heroic that it made him want to scream.

"They both" Nico's voice cracked on the last word but he cleared his throat and blundered on, "They both fell." Nico averted his eyes so as not to see the tears that fell down Percy's mother's face.

Percy's mother. And here he was explaining that her only child was stranded in the deepest pits of hell.

He figured that he might as well inform her properly, "It was my fault." He said bluntly as she looked up in shock. "I was captured and Percy was the one who came to save me. If I hadn't been there he would've gotten to Annabeth sooner."

Sally didn't look she had heard him as she continued to stare into his face, "Are they…can they come back?"

Nico forced himself to look her in the eye. It was the least she deserved and he was not surprised to see his own pain reflected back at him. "We're going to try but even if we do… there are things in there no one's meant to see. When…_if _they come back, they won't be the same. They can't be."

Sally didn't reply. Nico wondered if there even was a reply for what he had just said.

There was a beat of silence that demanded to be filled.

Instead of speaking Sally stood up and walked around to him. She took him by the arm and made him stand. Dully, he registered that this is how he thought it would play out in the end. He should count himself lucky that she was only going to throw him out of her flat and not try and run him through with a kitchen knife. He wasn't sure if he could defend himself from it that at the moment. He wasn't sure if he would.

Therefore when two thin but surprisingly strong arms wrapped around him and a face buried into his shoulder he was at a complete loss at what to do. Tentatively, he raised his own arms and placed them on her back. He was no good at this; he had no practice.

Then the sobs began. He held her the best he could as sobs wracked Sally's small frame. Words turned to ash in his mouth but he knew they would not help. The only person who could stop this was literally being fighting his way through hell, but until he got back (and it was there and then Nico resolved that he would _personally_ drag Percy out of hell itself if he needed to) he would just have to do the best he could.

The very best, because the woman who had been put through so much deserved no less.

….

A/N- Sorry for the wait! Thanks for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it! If you did (or didn't) please leave a review to let me know what you think J

VE


	12. A Higher Than Usual Chance Of Smiting

Paul watched from the sidelines, wondering if he should step in. Wondering if he _could_ step in.

It had been an ordinary day. Sally sat at the kitchen table, her hair pulled back messily as she wrote, Percy had been home from school for an hour, complaining about all the work he had to catch up on since the gods pulled him off the map for the better part if the school year, and he himself was nearing the end of the marking he had to finish. It was quiet, peaceful and just nice.

That was until the was a knock on the door.

Sally rolled her eyes at both of them as they looked at her but she got up with a smile and went to see who it was. She was gone for less than a minute but when she returned she had gone rather pale and was no longer smiling. "Percy," she had said, looking at her son, "your father's at the door. He wants to talk to you."

Paul saw the immediate change. The relaxed expression Percy had been wearing melted into controlled discipline. He sat straighter in his chair; his spine ramrod straight. He gave one nod and walked stiffly and unwillingly out of sight to the door.

Paul's concern turned to Sally as she sat flopped back into her own chair. She was still a little pale and her hands shook slightly but she was already looking better. He reached out and took her hand in his, offering an encouraging smile. She returned it weakly.

They sat in silence for a long moment before Sally spoke. "I wish they'd leave him alone." She whispered fiercely, "Hasn't he done enough?" Paul had no words to offer but he agreed whole heartedly.

The change in Percy after he'd come back from his many months away still set him ill at ease at times. Percy was still the same funny and slightly awkward kid that had gone away but there was no denying he was changed. It was just occasionally but sometimes Paul could swear he could see the hard glint in his stepson's eyes, no doubt put there by the Roman Legion. It saddened him; Percy was a good kid who didn't deserve any if what he'd been out through. But yet again, he could offer only his silent support.

Minutes passed.

Percy didn't come back. If it wasn't for the muted murmur of voices he would be worried that they had both left. "Did he tell you what he wanted to talk to Percy about?" Asked Paul quietly, all too aware that only a stretch of hallway and a thin door separated their conversation from the ears of the sea god.

"No." Said Sally biting on her lip. Se looked at him suddenly, her eyes looking glassier than usual, "What if he wants Percy to leave again?"

Paul looked at his wife and the unshed tears in her eyes. Something twisted in his chest. "He won't." He reassured and then spoke without thinking, "I'll go talk to him."

Sally looked at him, her sad eyes wide. "Really?" She asked. He would have wished he hadn't have said anything if his wife's face hadn't looked so hopeful then. The fear replaced by a cautious optimism.

"Of course." Said Paul, trying to quell the apprehension and more then liberal dose of fear that had suddenly appeared. He got up from his chair and looked towards the door. The chances that Poseidon would smite him were...well, they were more than he was entirely happy about but when he looked back to Sally who had looked so terrified at the though of her child being taken again he found his courage.

Quietly, he opened the door and stepped into the hall. It seemed that Percy and his father had moved into the sitting room and though he couldn't see them he could hear what they were saying. "We will speak again, my son. I am sorry it had to happen this way." Paul grimaced at what they most likely discussing. Though Percy had said he had talked to his father about the whole apocalypse debarcle it appeared that only now was his father actually apologising.

Paul looked towards the door of the room they were in but something caught his eye. A mirror that he himself had hung in the hallway meant that he could see into the living room from his position at the end of the hallway. He could see the back of Poseidon's head and Percy's uncharacteristically serious face. "Yes, Father." Paul's brow pulled together at the formal address. The way it came from Percy's mouth made it seem more like 'my lord' than anything else.

He looked back into the mirror and to his complete confusion saw Percy actually give a funny sort of half bow to the god, as though unsure of what to do. When he looked back at the mirror Percy stood alone in the room. For a second he questioned what he saw. Percy was so outgoing usually and just so normal that it didn't sit right to see his bow to the man that was supposed to be his dad. He didn't think being a god was such a good excuse either. Percy was still in the room staring at the spot his father had just disappeared from.

Paul walked in. "Your mom sent me," he said in way of an explanation, "is everything...okay?"

Percy looked up at him and rubbed a tired hand across his face, reverting back to the teenager Paul knew right in front of his eyes"Yeah," he managed, "he just wanted to say sorry, I suppose." The look on Paul's gave must have conveyed his thoughts pretty well as Percy laughed, "Yeah, I didn't think they did apologies either."

Paul smiled, "Come on, your mom's worried. Wouldn't want her thinking you're pulling another Houdini act." Percy gave a tired chuckle and walked back to the kitchen where Sally was trying her very best to not look relieved just because her son had made it from the living room to the kitchen in one peice and without disappearing.

Soon, they were all settled back into their own activities, each of them glad to be there. Sally was still writing, Percy still struggling with his own workload and Paul pushing the pile of finished marking away from him.

With a smile he turned to Percy. "Need any help?"

As Percy launched into an explanation of why his homework wasn't making any sense at all Paul leaned forward thought to himself that Percy didn't have a dad. Not really. He had a omniscient all powerful god who occasionally used him as a pawn in his own greater plans.

As Paul countered Percy with a patient explanation of how to solve his current problems he thought privately to himself that he wouldn't mind picking up the slack where Poseidon couldn't.

... 

A/N- Merry Christmas, hope you enjoyed the story and if you did (or didn't) please leaves review!


	13. Pity for the Emotionally Stunted

"Alright, so pretend I'm him."

Annabeth took a deep breath and steeled herself...before feeling herself deflate, again. "I can't," she exclaimed in frustration pacing the room, "it's too weird."

"Excuse me?" Said Rachel, her paint stained hands on her hips, "Did I just hear you say you _couldn't_ do something."

Annabeth felt her defences rise but didn't answer. Rachel sighed before trying a new tactic,

"Annabeth, how old are you?"

"Twenty two." She muttered, already feeling where this was going.

"And how long have you been going out with Percy for?" Rachel asked.

"Six years." Answered Annabeth only slightly sullenly.

"So what's stopping you?" Cried Rachel, "I hate to be the one to tell you but he's completely emotionally stunted! Take pity on him or trust me, you'll be fifty by the time it's even occurred to him. I don't get what you're afraid of, he's completely head over heels for you-"

"It's not that," said Annabeth wishing she could actually put how she felt into words. Her hands clutching at her hair as she continued to pace, "It's just...how do I say it? 'Oh by the way, I think we should get married?'"

"That's what I'm here for!" said Rachel stepping in front of her friend and grabbing her by the shoulders, only just restraining herself from trying to shake some sense into her. "Just pretend I'm him!" She stopped at her friend's dubious look, "Just try it, it might help."

Annabeth sighed in defeat, "Fine!" Rachel looked at her expectantly. Annabeth cleared her throat, suddenly nervous at the thought of having to find precisely the right words.

"Annabeth, is there something wrong?" Asked Rachel in a deeper voice than usual. She looked up at her Oracle friend only to see Rachel tip her head in a perfect echo of Percy that she simply began.

"Right," she said letting go of her doubts and narrowing her eyes in determination, "We've been together for ages. We live together, we go out together and I don't want to picture a time when we don't. We're a team." Annabeth chanced a look up at her stand in Percy, but to her credit Rachel didn't break character once, "And I love you. Gods know why," she laughed, "but I do. More than anything. So...Will you marry me?"

She chanced a look at Rachel who actually looked rather impressed by her little speech if her beaming smile was anything to go by.

"Erm...am I interrupting?" Came a bemused voice form the door. Annabeth's head whipped around to the sound of the voice to see Percy standing there looking at the both in confusion.

"How long have you been there?" Asked Annabeth breathlessly. She could see Rachel to her side shaking from the effort of holding back her laughter.

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Long enough to hear you declare you undying love to our Oracle over here, something I should know?" He said with a lopsided grin.

Ananbeth narrowed her eyes at his teasing tone and spoke to Rachel without even turning from Percy, "Rachel, would you excuse us for a minute?"

Rachel all but skipped form the room, her smile threatening to split her face in two, "Good Luck!" She called over her shoulder. For a second Annabeth wondered which one of them she was talking to.

She took a deep breath. Percy was standing there smiling but still looking faintly quizzical. She restrained herself from huffing out a breath. Rachel was right. If she didn't do it they'd both be completely grey by the time he got around to it. She steeled herself, "So?" She said, her voice coming out slightly harder than the situation probably warranted, "What d'you think?"

"About what?" He asked innocently with his head tipped to one side. She almost shouted at him her nerves were running so high, but something stopped her. His bottom lip was quivering just as it always did when he was trying not to laugh.

She narrowed her eyes once more, "You know exactly what I'm talking about!" She accused as he finally started laughing though stopped with a yelp when she hit him on the arm. "So?" She prompted, her voice much softer this time, "How about it?" She wanted to look at him but she was unable to meet his eyes. She knew he loved her, just as she did him, but this was a really big step for both of them. After all, did they really need more complicated in their lives?

A reassuring hand brushed back a loose tendril of hair from her face and she brought herself to look up, "I think it's a brilliant idea." He said sincerely, no hint of laughter anywhere in his face.

He was smiling and there was some deep emotion that she couldn't name in his eyes but he was absolutely deadly serious. She couldn't hold back her own smile as she threw her arms around him. She didn't kiss him, though she knew there would be no end to that later, instead she just held him to her as closely as she could. She could feel his response in his almost crushing grip on her but her only thought was that she could get used to never having to let go.

"One question, though." Said Percy, his voice muffled from being pressed so close to her, "Shouldn't I have asked you?"

Annabeth smiled but didn't relinquish her grip on him as she answered, "Would you have asked?"

She could feel him chuckle, "Eventually."

She honestly couldn't remember feeling quite as happy in her entire life as she did in that moment, knowing that the man in her arms was going to be hers forever, "Why wait?"

There was no response and nor was there anymore talking, but in that moment none of it mattered. After all, they had all the time in the world.

...

A/N-thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, or even if you didn't, I'd love to know what you think, thanks- VE


	14. Light in the Darkness

Everything held their breath when they set foot on camp half blood for the first time in over a year. It had been a tough year for everyone, battles and monsters and godly wars; not dissimilar to previous years but somehow harsher. Grumbles and grouses were common ground within the camp and almost everyone fell into the easy routine of complaining about something.

But when they walked past everyone fell silent. Physically, they looked fine. Rougher and more worn around the edges, scars littered in places they hadn't been before and just a little on the boney side to be considered healthy. Still, all things considered for two people that had literally gone through hell together Percy and Annabeth looked practically radiant.

Of course, no one looked them in the eyes (the shadows there were too dark, the irises too wild) and movements were slowed down around them (they didn't talk about the way Percy nearly impaled for someone for moving too fast on the edge of his vision, or how Annabeth's eyes tracked every move in an almost anamalistic fashion). They were fine. Really.

No one was really suprised when on the first night back Annabeth didn't look at the Athena cabin. Not even a glance was spared. Instead she walked straight past to the low curved walls of Poseidon. She moved differently now. She'd always moved like a warrior, sure footed and steady but now she rose on her toes and lilted, looking as of at any moment she might topple and fall. It looked similatinously perilous and dangerous, like the walk of a wounded predator.

Before people had stopped and talked with her, even if only briefly, but now they tried to give her space. Not out of any thought against her but out of the worry of what she how she might react. Both her and Percy were unpredictable and erratic now.

Percy used to smile so easily but no one had seen him do so since they'd both got back. Occasionally he might have grimaced as though he were trying to remember how to appear less haunted but the effect was worse than the blank look. Eventually people decided to give him a wide berth alongside Annabeth. It wasn't like he'd mind, they reasoned, he never spoke anymore.

He'd been silent since they'd finished coughing and hacking up ash and smoke and trying to extinguish the hellfire in their minds. He might've spoken to Annabeth but no one really knew for sure. They were never without the other but it seemed like they'd grown so attuned to each other that words had become clumsy and damaging. So they simply didn't use them.

Annabeth was slightly better. She spoke monosyllables when spoken to and had even nodded at her siblings when she saw them. They always nodded back but they were the only ones.

It didn't take long for the other campers to become wary, even afraid, of them. Between the vacant stares, jerky movements and silence they became outsiders in their own homes. New campers heard stories about the boy and girl who saved the city and the world when they stopped Kronos but when they asked which one of the older campers they were troubled glances were exchanged. Soon, the fresh faced and wide eyed younger ones scampered off in the opposite direction if they saw Percy and Annabeth and averted their eyes should they be stuck where they were. Of course, there was always one or two of the older ones, the ones who could remember the smiling faces and quick laughs, keeping a surreptitious eye in them. It was almost a camp tradition of keeping an eye on the more unstable members of the group but no one was willing to actually call it what it was; a suicide watch.

They didn't mean anything by it but even the old campers who'd known the goofball Percy and exasperated Annabeth were guilty of such actions sometimes. The only person who refused to treat them any differently was Nico. They thought it was because he understood.

When he sat with them, it was just that. They three sat in silence all staring into the distance an odd distance set between them. Out of all of them Nico was the only camper who could understand. He'd gone through tartaus, seen the evil, corruption and vile condition of human nature with his own eyes. He'd been caught and kept in his father's kingdom to face the coming end of days. And he'd been alone.

On the outside things didn't get any worse. They didn't get any better but the other campers counted themselves lucky.

It wasn't until night had fallen on that first night that they truely realised.

The lazy summer sun had only just dipped behind the hill of the camp, taking its long and hazy shadows with it when the last light was turned off, leaving the camp warmed only by the glowing hearth. Eyes closed and murmers of goodnight were all that were on anybody's mind.

A scream ripped through the air.

The fragile peace that had fell gently like a summer's dusk was torn away. Half-bloods sprang from their beds, grabbing whatever was to hand. It was the head councillor from both Ares and Hermes that reached the scene first.

They flung open the door to the Poseidon cabin, uncaring of etiquette or decorum. Swords high and muscles tensed they sank into a crouch to greet their enemy.

There was none and yet the screams didn't stop.

Percy and Annabeth laid together on a single bunk so tightly entangled that it looked like that they were all that anchored each other.

Another scream ripped the air and with it Clarisse of Ares rushed forward. The sound was more chilling than she'd ever heard. Fear and terror and _painpainpainpainpain_-

She did the only thing she could think of to do. She reached out with a hand and hit. Hard.

Percy woke chest heaving and eyes frantic. She could see it as the dream (_memory_?) retreated from his eyes. A fumbling hand searched until it found Annabeth. It encircled her arm like a soft shackle; pleading for her to stay but not allowing her to go.

Then he began crying.

Clarisse wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that possibly the strongest demigod she'd ever known had been reduced to this or the fact that throughout the whole ordeal Annabeth hadn't once stirred.


	15. A Promise Once Broken

"Now I will feast on you, my sweet, but do not fear. I will make a beautiful tapestry depicting your death."- Arachne, The Mark of Athena

...

They never found Annabeth.

The ship was too slow, Percy wasn't clever enough and the Gods were simply indifferent. At least that's how he saw it.

He knew he should never let her to off by herself, pride be damned. Going back he would have held onto her and never have let her go. Taken her far away from the Gods and Monsters where they could just simply live. They were a team, or at least they had been. Now he was half of a pair and it felt like the better half of him had flickered out along with Annabeth's life.

Of course, they had got there in the end. Too late, far too late, to save what really mattered. They had burst through the ceiling in a boat fit for Olympus itself, aflame with glory and worry, to see the cavernous hall which he had later realised would be Annabeth's final resting place. It was huge and webbed with gossamer threads that broke lightly against his skin and clung to his clothes.

He could remember quite clearly edging his way across the great floor, wary of how it creaked beneath him. It was thin; below it, nothing.

It had been inconsequential and small but it had given way to the biggest revelation of his life. Ahead of him, strewn and discarded lay a single dagger. Horribly and achingly familiar he had darted to it, forgetting the fragile nature of the ground beneath. It cracked and gave a groan but it held.

It was Annabeth's dagger.

"I thought you would come."

The voice came from behind him, higher than he would have thought and from deep in the shadows. It rasped as though the words were dragged from an unwilling throat.

Percy stepped closer. Vaguely, he heard the talk of the friends he had come with. They were still on the boat, not quite landed and not quite present. They would never reach in time.

"Where is she?" His voice cracked horribly but there was no shame in it. It was a question of denial; he already knew the answer.

When there was no immediate response he stepped forward. He had no fear and distantly he wondered if he'd ever be able to feel it again.

In the darkness ahead of him a horrible figure marshalled itself. A grotesque hybrid of woman and spider smiled maliciously down at him. With tusks jutting from her mouth and all of her black eyes following him, she answered.

"Long gone, my sweet, but do not fear, I carried out my promise. She is immortalised forever now."

For a wild second hope flooded his heart. Immortalised?

Then the one that could only be Arachne twisted and his hope turned and broke his heart in two.

Behind her, spanning an entire wall of her hollowed cave spread a tapestry horrible in its resplendent detail. Unfinished at the edges it was undoubtably recent but that was not what made him cry out.

It showed the place much as it was now but with one difference. In the picture stood a woven Annabeth so lifelike that it could only be her. He almost thought he could see the fire in her eyes as the hard lines of defiance sharpened her face. With one leg in a splint and armed with only a dagger she faced her attacker with an air of knowledge. She knew what was her fate now. And yet still she fought.

"So brave." Crooned Arachne, "Such fire within, it was almost a pity to snuff it out."

When the others finally reached Percy nearly half an hour later it was not riptide they found embedded that had killed the beast. It was a simple bronze dagger, given in the promise of family, and buried up to the hilt between the monster's eyes. A cursed blade given in a broken promise.

It was Leo, with a fist full of fire, that was the first to see Percy. His yell went up and they converged.

What they found was a broken demigod, shattered beyond repair. Heartbreaking sobs as he sat in front of a broken tapestry, web clawed always from the walls and sewn between his fingers. Thread stuck to his face and tangled in his hair.

He had been too late.

He had found the answers, dagger and revenge he'd been promised.

But he did not find Annabeth.


End file.
